The Voice of Albion
by KungThomasDenTrettonde
Summary: Arthur Pendragon, son of famous blues singer Uther Pendragon and world-renowned violinist Ygraine de Bois, has run out of other options. A failed record contract was the last straw and now here he was, standing on-stage on the Voice of Albion. Modern Merthur AU (with other pairings) based on the Voice. Rated M for later saucy scenes.
1. Chapter 1 - The Blinds

**The Voice of Albion**

* * *

 **Summary:** Arthur Pendragon, son of famous blues singer Uther Pendragon and world-renowned violinist Ygraine de Bois, has run out of other options. A failed record contract was the last straw and now here he was, standing on-stage on the Voice of Albion. Modern Merthur AU (with other pairings) based on the Voice.

* * *

 **Chapter One - The Blind Auditions**

Arthur had never been this nervous before anything, he realised, as he stood in the queue to the door. At the end of the queue of 50 or so people there was a couch where the presenters sat interviewing the potential acts. He clutched his audition slip tightly in his hand as he drew closer and closer to the doors.

The guy and the girl behind him were in a hushed conversation, which was not helpful as Arthur was frantically going over his lyrics and routine in his head. _They're probably nervous too_ he told himself _so be nice and just let it slide_. That was until one of them tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me." it was the girl, who now Arthur looked at her was rather pretty. "Are you... Sorry, I've never done this sort of approaching thing before, but aren't you Arthur Pendragon?"

"Uh... Yeah, I am." he replied, quite unsure of what to do. He had only ever released one demo EP, and had never up until now been recognised.

"I told you so." The guy next to her said. He was quite gangly with dark hair and the most ridiculous scarf on. "I'm Merlin, this is Gwen."

Gwen took over. "I wasn't sure if it was you. My father, Tom Smith, he was a cellist, worked with your mother Ygraine a lot." She paused as if unsure as to continue. "I'm ever so sorry for your loss."

Arthur waved a hand. "It's alright, long time ago now. I think I remember Tom, looked quite similar to you and he had that skeletal cello."

"He did." Gwen nodded. "And Merlin here, who wouldn't like to admit it in front of you, owns your EP. We both do."

 _Oh_. "Really? Er... How did you find it?" Arthur asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer

"It was really quite good. _'Excalibur',_ despite the cheesy title, was the favourite for both of us. So much so that it seems surprising to see you in a queue for the Voice of Albion."

Arthur chuckled nervously. "Well, the whole EP didn't really go to plan." He turned, and saw that in the time they'd been talking he'd reached the front of the queue. "Oh, it's my turn. Good luck to you both!"

 _Glad to be out of that_ he told himself as he went and sat down across from one of the show's two presenters, Nimueh Cara. Whilst music was a strength of his, he did have undeniably good people skills. Well, when he wasn't jumped in a queue trying to be incognito that is. He talked about his parents when she asked and how they didn't know he was here, and about his failed EP. Nimueh seemed to know everything about him, likely that a big background check was done.

Soon enough he was walking through backstage and onto the main stage. Spread out before him were the four chairs, all facing away from him. _One of you turn, that's all I want I swear._

A deep breath

The band started tapping drum sticks

Focus

Arthur raised the violin to his neck, and slowly began to draw the bow across the strings into the opening. Everything was fine; he was in his element on stage. With one last breath, he began.

 _How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it back home_

 _Because,_

 _Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life._

 _Wake me up inside  
Wake me up inside  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
Bid my blood to run  
Before I come undone  
Save me from the nothing I've become._

 _Bring me to life  
Bring me to life_

The final note he held, and held it high. He had even thrown in plenty of vocal gymnastics into the chorus, fitting well around his violin parts. He had been so engrossed in his performance that he hadn't given any attention to the chairs in front of him, three out of the four of which were now facing him.

On the right was the pop and soul singer Morgana LeFay, to the left was country singer Freya Bastet. Sandwiched between them was the chair still with his back to him - Gaius who was an old crooner - and the other turned chair of the lead singer and front man of the Camelot Knights, Lancelot DuLac.

The lights behind Arthur blurred into a frenzy as the audience cheered and whooped. Gaius' chair turned around as Morgana, Freya and Lance stood up to applaud Arthur.

He could feel himself blushing as he stood there, in front of the microphone. All at once, everything slowed to a halt.

"What's your name?" Morgana asked me, all of the coaches sitting back down in their chairs.

"Arthur Pendragon." I replied. The nerves had already started to get back to him.

Morgana looked like a light bulb had lit over her head. "Of course it is, how didn't I hear the voice. I have your EP."

 _Bloody hell. Twice in one day._

"Even worse." Gaius said. "Uther will never forgive me for not turning for his son. Is he out back boy?"

"No, he, well he doesn't know I'm here tonight."

They chatted backstory for another minute or so, asking about his EP and the pressure he must feel due to his parents musical background. They then began pitching, Morgana and Lancelot getting into a heated argument over him whilst Freya told him that she turned because he deserved more, though if he wanted to join her team he was more than welcome.

"Athur, I promise you, come with me and we can win this competition. I won it last year, I'll do it again with you!" Lance petitioned him

"Arthur." Morgana interjected, "I don't want you to win this competition I want you to take over the music industry. I loved your EP, you're a fantastic artist and I can take you to the top I promise you that."

"It's time." Gaius spoke, silencing Lance's attempt at a counter-pitch. "Arthur, please pick your coach."

 _Who will I pick_ he thought. Lance seemed the obvious choice due to their similarity in style, but something else was drawing him to Morgana, almost like fate. "I think I'm gonna go with Team Morgana."

Rapturous applause followed his choice as Morgana leapt out her chair, somehow ran to him in her 6" heels and pulled him into a hug. "You've made the right choice." She told him, before leading him down to be congratulated by the other coaches.

Nimeuh stood waiting outside and instantly interviewed him about his experience and how it felt to be on Team Morgana. After that, the production queue showed him to a seat in the audience where he could watch more of the acts. Most of the audience was either production crew or other singers and their families used to act as a live studio audience.

He had gotten a seat near the front, and Morgana raised her eyebrows at him as the chairs turned.

Onto the stage came the two Arthur has spoken with in the queue. Merlin looked somewhat awkward next to Gwen, holding a guitar whilst the crew adjust the height of the microphones. Gwen, also holding a violin which she did not have in the queue brought it up and placed the bow on the string.

As the band kicked in, Merlin began.

 _It was a crush  
But I couldn't, couldn't get enough  
It was a rush  
But I gave it up_

 _Holy shit he can actually sing_ Arthur thought. The timbre of Merlins voice was deep, unlike his speaking voice but pleasant and soothing. Gwen then came in.

 _It was a crush  
Now I might have went and said too much  
But that's all it was  
So I gave it up_

Gwen's voice was sweet, high, the perfect contrast to Merlin's tone. _Turn_! Arthur thought. Gaius was clearly not going to, looking bored. Freya looked excited, as did Morgana, whilst Lance was mouthing to both that there wasn't much he could offer them.

The chorus kicked in with Merlin and Gwen dueting, the voices blending together.

 _I live my day as if it were the last  
Live each day as if there was no past  
Doin' it all night, all summer  
Doin' it the way I wanna_

 _They were better soloists, definitely_ Arthur thought as he watched Freya's face fall. Morgana however, slammed her button, turning around.

 _Yeah Imma dance my heart out 'til the dawn  
But I won't be done when morning comes  
Doin' it all night all summer  
Gonna spend it like no other_

Morgana started directing them halfway through the verse, pointing at Merlin and indicating that he should go up a key, whilst indicating Gwen should go down. Both did for the final reprise of the Chorus and honestly it sounded much better.

The other chairs swivelled once the song ended, Merlin and Gwen hugging each other laughing and cheering. So they were on Team Morgana.

The chit-chat was similar with him, asking about what they did. There was one different question however.

"So..." Lance asked. "You two?"  
Merlin laughed. "No, nothing like that. Gwen is like my sister."  
 _So they weren't together._ Arthur wasn't sure why he particularly cared. At the end of the day, they were competition and would likely either face him in the Battle rounds or the Knockouts should they get through.

After the pair went off stage they went to sit next to Arthur in the only two available seats at the time. Gwen asked about his audition and he congratulated them on theirs. They were obliged to watch at least another ten auditions as part of the audience.

The next singer was a teenager who sang _Style_ completely off-key. No turns for her. Next however was a complete banger. A blonde woman in a full bodysuit started belting out Ariana Grande's _Focus_. The woman, called Morgause, also joined Morgana's team. A male and rather attractive singer called Leon followed up with a cut-down performance of _Dollhouse_ by Melanie Martinez which shouldn't have worked but did. He joined Team Freya, being the second consecutive four turn. Following that was Percival, who joined Team Lance after covering the Foo Fighters and a singer called Sophia who joined Team Freya after four turns for her cover of _Little Talks_ by Of Monsters and Men.

Arthur stayed to watch a few more of the auditions after that, though none were particularly interesting and nobody got more than two turns. In the end, he got up, said goodbye to Gwen, Merlin and Morgause who had also started talking to them and left. An executive took some extra details from him and informed him that he would be told in a few days when rehearsals for the battles would take place.

Morgana caught him at the door however.

"Arthur!" she called out. He paused while she caught up to him. "I wanted to congratulate you. We don't really get time to under the cameras." She pressed a piece of paper into his hand. "This is for your father. He'll be able to explain it to you, so you can read it, but not here. And not a word should go out to anyone about this.

Arthur opened the paper when he got on the train back home. It had a sentence, artfully scrawled in pencil across it.

 _The daughter of Gorlois_

* * *

 **Authors Note:** This came about after some inspiration from reading some other works of fanfic, and as a method to distract myself from the exam revision that I really should be doing right now. The songs featured were Bring me to Life by Evanescence and Lush Life by Zara Larsson. I'm hoping this get's an okay reaction, so reviews and follows etc. would be appreciated. The next chapter is coming out tonight (hopefully) so you can have a bit of a start.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Battles: Day 1 (M)

**The Voice of Albion**

* * *

 **Summary:** Arthur Pendragon, son of famous blues singer Uther Pendragon and world-renowned violinist Ygraine de Bois, has run out of other options. A failed record contract was the last straw and now here he was, standing on-stage on the Voice of Albion. Modern Merthur AU (with other pairings) based on the Voice.

* * *

 **WARNING: This chapter contains some M scenes.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two - The Battle Rounds [Day 1]**

Arthur spent a quiet few days at home. His father was away on a comeback tour in the US, so he hadn't had a chance to ask about the note Morgana had given him. Some research showed that Gorlois was Morgana's father, though what that had anything to do with Uther Arthur didn't know. Still, he emailed his father the question and left it hanging.

The call for rehearsals came a couple of days later. Surprisingly, when Arthur picked up the phone it was Morgana who spoke back to him.

"Arthur, Hey. It's Morgana LeFay, yeah we're gonna be doing the Battles paring on Friday at 7:00am back at the studio, that and rehearsals."

"I'll be there." He said, then added, "I haven't been able to ask..."

Morgana interrupted him. "Not now, we can talk about it when you're here if you want."

So, that Thursday, Arthur caught the train to London and spent the night in a budget hotel. He shaved in the morning, did his hair and caught a bus to the nearest stop to the studio. From there, he walked the fifteen minute walk into the studio and was soon directed to a large made-up room. The whole of Team Morgana, which from the looks of it was nine soloists, two duets and a trio of teenage girls as a group.

"Right guys." Morgana said. "You sit over there, I stand up here looking fabulous, and I'll call you up to pair groups up for battles."

Arthur went and sat between Morgause and another guy called Mordred, who kind of gave him the creeps.

"Firstly I want to say, Team Morgana is even stronger than last year. We were pipped to the post last year and that will not be happening again. You will all be singing songs in the battle that should put you out of your comfort zone. Now, we have the honours of the first battle. In one corner will be... Arthur."

 _At least if I fuck it up I can get stolen_. Arthur thought.

"He will be going up against... Mordred."

The rest of the team clapped as they did when Arthur was called as Mordred came and stood up next to Arthur.

"You both auditioned with what could be described as power-ballads. Therefore, you two will be singing..." Morgana paused for dramatic effect, " _Elastic_ _Heart_ by Sia."

Mordred sighed in apprehension, whilst Arthur just nodded. The two then sat down, while the next duel was announced.

"Morgause and Powderpuff" called out Morgana. The trio of girls and the blonde and dashing Morgause stood up. "You will be singing _Hips Don't Lie_ by Shakira. Yes, a classic, don't look too frightened."

The next pairing up was a guy called Cenred with another guy called Lance. The two were told they would be singing _Touch_ by Pia Mia.

Next up, Merlin and Gwen were called to sing against a duet of a tall guy called Elyan and his girlfriend Viv. "You will be singing..." Morgana said, again with a dramatic pause, "Halo by Beyoncé."

 _Christ that's harsh_ Arthur thought. Beyoncé would be hard to nail for anyone except Beyoncé. Though he was singing Sia and that had proved to be a curse for the three people who had tried to do Sia in the Knockouts last year and had all crashed out.

The other battles were quickly assigned and they all headed off to the coffee room or the rehearsal room. As Arthur and Mordred were up first they rehearsed first.

Morgana took them through the song, assigning different lyrics to each of the pair and advising them to ad-lib and throw in vocal gymnastics as much as they wished, so long as they didn't go too crazy. The two were then shown into another room with another piano player to practise.

Mordred was an intense singer, and very emotional. The pain really shone through with the song, which was for Arthur not a very good sign. The piano player stopped halfway through, taking Arthur back into the main room to have a 'Confidence' talk with Morgana even though he didn't need it.

"I promise I'll be okay on the night." Arthur told her.

"It's a TV thing the producers want. You got picked as a problem one, so we're gonna talk about pressure and you're parents careers etc. and then you can nail it on the night. Hopefully anyway."

The crew soaked up every word as Arthur told Morgana about the pressure due to his parent's success.

"Arthur, if you bring that emotion to the song, I know you'll nail it on the night. Everyone there will be rooting for you."

After the talk and a hug from Morgana, he was pulled back in to keep rehearsing and somehow, even though the talk hadn't done anything for him, he felt that bit better about the performance the following night.

He practised heavily at home, stretching his voice at places. The violin wouldn't make an appearance this time to highlight his voice more, though he would feel less confident without it.

Saturday night rolled around quickly and before he knew it he was in the waiting room while at the front, Nimueh and the other presenter, Kanen, introduced the judges and the first acts.

Then he was being pushed out on stage with Mordred and before he even had time to collect his thoughts the light's were dimming. Mordred was opening so Arthur focused on his breathing.

 _And another one bites the dust  
Oh why can I not conquer love?_

Mordred had soul in his voice, and Arthurs voice shook as he took up his first lines.

 _And I might have thought that we were one  
Wanted to fight this war without weapons_

His opponent had clearly heard the shake as a rallying cry, so began to belt out the pre-chorus.

 _You did not break me  
I'm still fighting for peace_

He held the last note, eyeing Arthur the whole time. _Arthur you idiot_ he told himself _don't let this ass walk all over you_. That's when he saw Merlin and Gwen in the audience. They weren't performing tonight so weren't in the waiting room. His eyes locked with Merlin's, and a confidence began to flood through him, though quite why it did he did not know.

 _We'll I've got a thick skin and an elastic heart  
But your blade it might be too sharp  
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard  
Yeah I may snap and I move fast  
And you won't see me fall apart  
'Cause I've got an elastic heart_

The new-found confidence in Arthur caused his voice to echo, loudly over the music, the final line full of vibrato.

Mordred began to counter, throwing every single vibrato and vocal gymnastic out there that he could. Arthur caught a glance at Morgana's face, and she was frowning at Mordred.

 _And I will stay up through the night  
And let's be clear, won't close my eyes  
And I know that I can survive  
I'll walk through fire to save my life_

The emotion was showing in Mordred's voice, as he delivered his lines, the crowd applauding every word. As they had rehearsed, the two began to circle each other while Arthur started his pre-chorus.

 _You did not break me  
I'm still fighting for peace_

Glancing over, he saw Freya and Lance both nodding and Gaius raising his eyebrows at Morgana. Mordred must have noticed this too as he began to shout his chorus.

 _We'll I've got a thick skin and an elastic heart  
But your blade it might be too sharp  
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard  
Yeah I may snap and I move fast  
And you won't see me fall apart  
'Cause I've got an elastic heart_

The final line was more a shriek than it was sung, and as he held the final note, he brought his voice higher and higher. Then it cracked. And it was horrible.

 _I've got an elastic heart_

Arthur countered, finishing the song. He cut out any vocal moves, simply delivering the line perfectly.

The music halted, and the crowd were on their feet, cheering loudly, as were Morgana and Freya.

Kanen came and stood between Arthur and Mordred.  
"Now Morgana, you've got one hell of a choice to make here, so we'll go to your fellow coaches. Freya?"

"Arthur," Freya began, "You had a shaky start but once the chorus came around, bloody hell I wish I could sing like that sometimes. You hit some notes that I couldn't. I would definitely take Arthur through on this one."

Gaius was next. "Mordred, you are an incredibly emotional singer. I couldn't make this decision, definitely, but had you kept your voice under control you would have been put through if this was my call."

"Both of you were good. Arthur, you clearly showed that you can work in this industry and go multi-genre. I would take you through." said Lance.

Kanen clapped. "Well before we go to Morgana let's give these two a round of applause. Now, Morgana."

Morgana cleared her throat. "You are both excellent singers clearly. I spoke with you all about limiting you're vocal gymnastics so that something like what Mordred did wouldn't happen tonight. I'm hoping that my team are all listening when I say this. But Mordred gave more emotion through the song than Arthur did."

She paused, collecting her thoughts. Arthur could feel his heart beat in his throat.

"That said there is a winner in this battle, someone who displayed great skill, and managed to bring it back from a mistake. That person, despite the shaky start, is Arthur."

His jaw dropped as Kanen lifted his arm. Mordred pulled him into a hug and then Arthur was off, hugging Morgana, repeatedly giving her his thanks. "Of course it was you." She told him "You nailed it."

The producers then signalled Arthur to head towards them and to stand and watch Mordred on stage.

"Now coaches, please remember Mordred is up for a steal. You all have your two steals at the ready." The chairs turned in unison, except for Morgana's.

"Now Arthur." said one of the producers. "Whisper Steal at the stage for the camera".

Arthur complied, watching as the lights closed in until...

Gaius' chair spun around, as the lights went crazy. "Mordred, you are now on Team Gaius. Go see your new coach."

Arthur clapped frantically, mostly for the cameras, but he was glad to see that Mordred was still through.

Arthur and Mordred were then shown to seats in the audience as the next battles commenced. Both were also given sheets with instructions on for the knockouts.

Next up was Leon from Team Freya up against a singer Arthur had not seen before, a rather Hipster looking guy apparently called Will. The two were dueting _Ship to Wreck_ by Florence and the Machine and absolutely brought the house down. In the end though, Leon was kept in whilst Will was stolen by Lance.

Gaius then had one of his battles, A woman named Catrina against a rather scruffy man called Halig. The two sang _Babushka_ by Kate Bush, and Catrina wiped the floor with Halig, who was not stolen.

Then came Lance's battle of a guy called Percival against another guy called Gwaine. During the performance, Leon came over and sat next to Arthur, and the two began to chat once the performance was over. Gwaine and Leon had been singing _Imagine_ by John Lennon and it had been a good performance. Percival was however victorious and Gwaine was instantly stolen by Morgana.

The next battle was Morgause against the Powderpuff trio, who had dolled up Lolita style for the occasion. After a smashing rendition of _Hips Don't Lie_ in which halfway through Morgause unexpectedly began singing her verses in perfect Spanish, Powderpuff were sent home with Morgause receiving unanimous praise for her performance.

The rest of the performances of the night (a whole twenty-four performances) were rather typical, the only stand-outs being a couple of guys, Monatgue and Edric, and a opera singer called Elena.

The final of the battle of the night was called in Elena's favour, and she was busy hugging Freya her coach. Leon tapped Arthur on the shoulder.

"Are you gonna be coming tomorrow night to watch the other battles?" he asked.

"Probably. Merlin and Gwen will be performing and I'd like to be there to congratulate them if they win."

"Ah Okay." replied Leon. The two had started talking on the second day of rehearsals for the battles and, along with Gwen, Merlin and Morgause, Arthur considered Leon one of his friends on the show.

"Want to go out and get some drinks." Arthur asked him.

"Yeah sure."

"Not without me." a voice from behind them said. Morgana strutted into view, "I need to talk strategy with you Arthur, and if you want Leon I can give you some feedback."

"Oh my god if it's not any trouble." Leon said excitedly.

The three of them headed for one of the nearby pubs, where they sat with drinks and chatted for a while.

"So, Leon, Arthur, what do you think you'll sing at the Knockouts?".

While Leon umm-ed and ahh-ed, Arthur spoke up. "You have to wait for rehearsal with me, but I have a good idea."

"I look forward to it."

Morgana and Leon then entered a deep conversation about whether singing Sanna Nielson or Taylor Swift would be better. Arthur checked his phone for emails, finding one from his father.

 _Tell her she has my permission to tell you, and that she should contact me when I'm back in the U.K._

Arthur waited until Leon, who had drunk a little bit too much, headed to use the toilets to show Morgana the email. She took a breath on reading it, and then began.

"I'm your half sister." she said plainly. "Blunt confession, I know, but to the point."

"You what?"

"I had no way of contacting Uther, he's such a recluse in the industry now, but I only recently discovered it. You're mother was my mother, though that was before he married her. So, yeah, we're related."

"Oh. You knew when I auditioned then?"

"Not until you told me your name." she said. "You got through on talent, both times, I promise. I'm not playing favourites. Well, I put Morgause up against the Powderpuff girls because I knew she'd slay them."

She looked down at her watch. "Early start in the morning, so I'd better head off. I'd recommend you do the same."

Arthur waited for Leon to get back, processing the information of his new sister as he did. Maybe it was the alcohol, but the shock didn't really get to him.

Once Leon was back, Arthur took him to the bus. "I'm not too drunk so I'll get you to your room." He had told Leon.

They ended up at a slightly pricier hotel than where Arthur was staying. He tried not to be envious at the lack of mould on the shower curtain in the bathroom when he went for a piss. Arthur did have some money, but his parents had been strict. Both had come from nowhere to the top, and they weren't going to give Arthur an easy way up. Once he had hit 18, he had to pay for most things himself, and as such he wasn't particularly well off.

Once he'd finished peeing, he zipped up his trousers and, at Leon's request, stayed for a cup of coffee.

"I should be off." he said, finishing the cup.

"You know Arthur, " Leon said, "You could just stay."

Leon leaned in and kissed Arthur, which took him by surprise. What was more surprising was that Arthur started to kiss back, and fiercely. He had only ever been with another guy once in uni, at the time which he'd figured he was bisexual, but he had only known Leon well for a couple of days.

The two wrestled and fell onto the large bed together. Leon pushed his hands up Arthurs shirt and chucked when he felt the muscles underneath. Arthur ran his hands over Leon's back, down, down until he cupped Leon's perfect butt. Reaching up, he pulled Leon's shirt over his head, and started to kiss along Leon's neck, warranting a groan from the other party.

Arthurs shirt and jeans soon found their way off, as did Leon's shorts, and then Leon was crouched over Arthurs hard groin kissing his way down Arthurs chest, down Arthurs happy trail until he had his mouth over Arthur's manhood. Arthur moaned as Leon pulled back the plain white boxers and took Arthur in his mouth. He ran his hands through Leon's thick hair, groaning as he did so. Leon moved down, still with Arthur in his mouth slowly inserted a finger into Arthurs ass, eliciting more groans. A second, then third finger were added, until Leon deemed Arthur ready. They then swapped positions; Arthur using his mouth to lube up Leon, until Arthur lay down on his back and Leon pushed in to him, meeting his mouth with a kiss as he did so.

It was a miracle they got as far as they did, with Leon in his drunken state. He was actually pretty good drunk, so would be better sober as he pushed into Arthur who met him with each thrust.

The drawback of the drink however was that the experience didn't last particularly long, Leon pulling out of Arthur, whipping the condom off and finishing on his chest. He did however then return his mouth to Arthur until he too came with a final moan.

They both slept soundly together in Leon's bed that night, though Arthur couldn't shake some feeling of guilt.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I'm really enjoying writing this so you better be ready because some more will be coming soon (hah). This is a Merthur fic but I do quite like Leon, hence the quickie in this chapter. I don't know when more of this will come, but it will. I still intend on finishing my other fics too - This Time and The Scientist - which if you haven't checked out you should if you are a fan of Wolfstar. The song featured this time was Elastic Heart by Sia

Again, Reviews, Faves, and follows are much appreciated. Even if the review says you hate me, I appreciate it and it helps me write more.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Battles: Day 2

**The Voice of Albion**

* * *

 **Summary:** Arthur Pendragon, son of famous blues singer Uther Pendragon and world-renowned violinist Ygraine de Bois, has run out of other options. A failed record contract was the last straw and now here he was, standing on-stage on the Voice of Albion. Modern Merthur AU (with other pairings) based on the Voice.

* * *

 **Chapter Three - The Battles - Day Two**

Arthur work that morning feeling honestly pretty shitty. The room was quite bright, so it must be early in the morning, and it hurt his eyes due to the slightest of slight hangover he still had from the previous night.

 _Did I really drink that much?_ he asked himself wearily, before realising he wasn't alone in the bed. A mess of hair, the soft sound of breathing, the warmth of a leg between his, everything pointed towards Leon.

Carefully, he edged back a bit. Yep. That was Leon, and they were naked.

 _Fucking hell_

Everything came rushing back to him - Morgana's confession, Leon's drunkenness, the sex, everything.

 _Well he was quite a good shag_

Arthur rubbed his eyes, not needing his subconsciousness getting the better of him. He slowly tried to remove Leon's leg from between his. They had to be at the studio by 10:00 for their meeting with Morgana about the knockout song. Succeeding in his task, Arthur slipped out of bed and pulled on some boxers from the ground. That was when he saw the clock.

"Leon." he said. "Leon!" again, increasily louder.

"What is it." came the voice of a groggy and sleepy Leon.

"It's nine-thirty."

"And...?"

"We have to be in the studio in thirty minutes." Arthur let the sentence sink in for a second, and not a moment later Leon was up and running into the shower. "Hey I need to shower too!"

"Then come in. It's not like I haven't seen your cock dude."

 _He had a point_

The two stood under the hot water, hurriedly washing their hair. The second all the shampoo was washed out, the shower was off and they both stood there hurriedly drying themselves with towels.

Clothes on, the two raced out of the hotel. Luckily the studio was only a five minute walk, but they both made it in just in time. Morgana eyed them both knowingly as they came in. Only the people who has succeeded in their battles, so just Leon, Morgause, Arthur and Gwaine who was stolen, were there.

"So I've spoken with the producers and whilst the Battle rounds aren't finished yet, we're going to start filming you're knockout rehearsal shots right now. I hope you know what song you're doing. Does anyone, so the others can have time to think if they need to?"

Morgause put her arm up.

"Great Morgause. We'll go into my studio room then and get talking. The rest of you, if you could stay around here so I can come grab you. We'll need to film the chatting scene later once the full team line-up is known." And with that, the two disappeared through the doors.

"Hot Chocolate?" Leon asked Arthur, tiredly.

"Uh, Sure." he looked over to Gwaine - having someone else there would ease the tension a bit - "Gwaine, you coming."

Gwaine nodded and the three headed into the adjacent café. They sat there for ten minutes, discussing what song they'd pick until Morgana came out, grabbed Leon by the ears and dragged Leon out, replacing him with Morgause.

"What are you singing?" Gwaine asked her.

" _On my Mind_ by Ellie Goulding. I told her initially and her face dropped, probably with concern, but I think my performance convinced her." Morgause told us. "What have you guys picked?"

"Leon who just got dragged off picked _Born To Die_ by Lana Del Rey. Not sure why, but he seemed to like it." Arthur replied. "Still thinking about what to do."

"I'm gonna do _All Good Things_ by Nelly Furtado. Didn't actually think of it till Morgana told me that I should probably do it."

"Huh, I can see it fitting your voice. She did good stealing you, you're quite the artist."

"Why thank you."

The three of us chatted some more until Leon was sent back, and Gwaine went to see her.

"I'm quietly optimistic." Leon said, "she only really told me to adjust the tone some more because it can be quite flat, but other than that, I think I did good."

Morgause and Arthur raise their mugs in cheer, then Morgause downs hers. "Well, I'll see you boys tonight, gotta get some stuff done in town."

She leaves, meaning it's just the two of them, back with the tension.

"So..." Leon breaks the silence. "About last night..."

"What about it..." Arthur responds.

"I... I guess what I'd like to say is that I'd like to see you again sometime?"

Arthur pondered this. _He is attractive, and sweet, and a good shag_. "We'll see where it goes, how about that?"

Leon smiled. "Sounds good to me."

That had at least broken the tension, the only way out of which would have been Morgana. She did come grab him at some point. Leon promised he would wait for him while Arthur was in there.

Morgana took him into the studio where the band were. "Firstly, congratulations on your battle again. You nailed it, and I want you to bring that to the knockout so I don't have to say goodbye to you."

"I'll do my best. I promise."

"Okay, so what are you going to sing."

"Well..." he ponders, "I'm not really sure. I was hoping you may have a suggestion."

"Arthur, I can't suggest anything. This is your choice, though I would point you towards something we can make emotional, and something perhaps more unique if you can. It doesn't matter if it's classic or modern."

And that's when it hit him. " _Photograph_ , Ed Sheeran."

"Perfect. It should be clear sailing if you can get the emotion in." She walks off to the production crew, and a couple of minutes one returns with printouts of the music for the band and lyrics. "Okay Arthur, take it away."

A deep breath, the click of the sticks, and I begin.

 _Loving can hurt  
Loving can hurt something  
But it's the only thing that I know  
When it gets hard  
You know it can get hard sometimes  
It's the only thing that makes us feel alive_

 _We keep this love in a photograph  
We make these memories for ourselves  
Where our eyes are never closing  
Hearts are never broken  
Times forever frozen still_

 _So you can keep me, inside the pocket of your ripped jeans  
Holdin' me closer till our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone_

 _And when I'm away  
I will remember how you kissed me  
Under the lamppost back on sixth street  
Hearin' you whisper through the phone_

 _Wait for me to come home  
Wait for me to come home  
Wait for me to come home_

 _Oh, wait for me to come home_

Morgana holds up her hand. "Right, let's slow it down a tad, bring it down a key or two in placesand try it again. We do this three times, each one including her making small alterations until it sounds like a completely different song, but still fantastic. "You picked a strong song, the emotions and the dynamics we've added have really given it that edge. The goal for you it to really make use of your range, because if you can do some falsetto it will come across very well. Now come on you, skedaddle, we've both got lots to be doing. I hope I'll see you at the battles tonight." Her eyes twinkled. "I know Merlin would really appreciate it if you came and supported him."

"Leon and I will be there." pretending not to hear Morgana's last comment.

"I'm glad to hear it. Team Morgana is gonna have a sense of camaraderie even if we crash out in the semi-final."

Arthur met Leon outside afterwards. The rehearsal and filming had taken up about three and a half hours, and the knockout filming was due to start at four. So he and Leon had some time to themselves, which they spent talking and going to lunch together. Arthur played Leon the song he had picked when Leon gave him a blank expression when he told him.

"It's certainly catchy."

"She recommended something with emotion and this is what I thought of. We've slowed it right down, changed some stuff, so it should sound really good for the knockouts - hopefully enough to pull me through. I'm surprised you didn't know it."

"All four of us who are already there are really good. I haven't heard Morgause but she slayed in the battle, Gwaine is fantastic, you're amazing and modesty aside, I reckon I'm quite good."

"You are really good. She has got other people up her sleeve. Gwen and Merlin from what I've heard are set to win their battle easily, and only four people from each team go through to the lives. So it will be tough."

"From what I've heard from some of the other guys, Lance's team is shaping up really well, as is Freya's. Not so sure about Gaius." Leon told him.

"He has Mordred, who as much as he creeps me out, is a competent and emotional vocalist." Arthur replied.

"True, but I guess we will see what remains of the competition after tonight."

"I guess we will."

The two of them made it back to the studio for ten-to-four, and were immediately directed by the crew to sit in part of the crowd. Arthur easily found Morgause and sat next to her, Leon following suit.

Fifteen minutes later, after a final lighting check, the presenters came on stage and started filming their lines and the coaches arrival. Morgana strode up with Freya first, both looking confident as they took their seats in their chairs.

"First Up" called Nimueh, "It's Team Morgana!"

The first duo was Cenred and another Lance. The winner was clear though as Cenred sailed through and Lancelot DuLac didn't save his namesake.

They were followed by a duel from Gaius which was just a complete disaster, then by a duel from Team Freya where the loser, a teenage girl by the name of Aithusa was stolen by Morgana. Team Lance followed them, pitching two more incredible singers against each other, one of which was stolen by Freya. It was then Team Morgana again.

"Now, It's the battle of the duets. Merlin and Gwen will be facing off against Elyan and Viv!" The audience cheered as both duets, Merlin and Gwen looking very nervous indeed, came on-stage. Nimueh spoke again. "Singing _Halo_ , it's Team Morgana."

The music began to come in and Viv took up the first lines.

 _Remember those walls I built?  
Well Baby they're tumbling down_

Gwen took over, immediately giving more power and confidence in her voice than she showed on her face.

 _And they didn't even put up a fight,  
They didn't even make a sound_.

Merlin then joined in with Gwen

 _I found a way to let you in  
But I never really had a doubt  
Standing in the light of your halo  
I've got my angel now_

 _They sound good_ Arthur thought, though their voices weren't blending as well as he'd heard them. Elyan and Viv however, well Elyan was carrying the both of them.

 _It's like I've been awakened  
Every Rule I've had you breaking  
It's the risk that I'm taking  
I ain't never gonna shut you out_

Merlin and Elyan then started to sing the chorus together, while Gwen played the violin and Viv stood there, kind of awkwardly honestly, waiting for her next lines.

 _Everywhere I'm looking now  
I'm surrounded by your embrace  
Baby I can see your halo  
You know you're my saving grace_

The four then came in for the final part of the song.

 _You're everything I need and more  
It's written all over your face  
Baby I can see your halo  
Pray it won't fade away_

Each then took up the last line in turn, Merlin and Elyan first, followed by Viv then Gwen.

 _I can see your halo  
I can see your halo  
I can see your halo  
I can see your halo_

Arthur clapped his hands strongly. There was no way Merlin and Gwen could lose this duel, considering Viv sounded like a cat.

"Morgana!" Nimueh called. "A fantastic battle there. I'll give you a minute to collect your thoughts and we'll go to your fellow coaches. Freya?"

Freya, smiling, took the microphone. "I must say that, Gwen and Merlin, while you need to work on blending your voices that little bit more, you gave the stronger performance tonight, and if I were your coach you would be going through."

She passed the microphone onto Gaius. "I couldn't decide, you were both very good."

 _That's bull_ Arthur thought. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't hold Gaius too highly, and not just because Gaius didn't turn for him in the auditions.

"A fantastic performance from you both." Lance said. "It was a battle, but you still all worked together to bring out the best in each other."

It was then Morgana's turn.

"Both of you are fantastic as duets, though there are issues. Neither of you can perfectly blend the voices, though Viv and Elyan are slightly better at it. And whatever happens, I know that everything will be okay. So the winner is Viv and Elyan."

 _WHAT!_

Merlin and Gwen both applaud, though clearly its hit Gwen quite hard from her face. Elyan and Viv are escorted off the stage whilst Kanen joined Merlin and Gwen onstage.

"Coaches, you still all have a steal left."

Before Kanen can finish, Freya slams her button down. A second later, Lance does too!

The cheering in the hall is immense as Freya and Lance eye each other and start laughing.

"Okay, Gwen, Merlin, you have two options - Team Freya or Team Lance. Which would you like to continue with?"

Merlin looks at Gwen, and she nods. "Thank you to you both, but we'd like to continue with Team Freya."

Amidst the ensuing applause, Freya runs up on stage and hugs them both tightly before taking them offstage.

"How on earth did Morgana pick Viv and Elyan?" Leon asks.

Morgause responds. "I think Morgana knew Freya would take them the whole time, and the rest of our team is strong enough as it is."

Arthur nod. "I see, I mean with us and Aithusa and Gwaine, she'd have a hard time picking her four for the lives. She still has Cenred and another battle to go still."

"Exactly."

None of the other battles of the night were particularly special, bar the rest of Team Lance and Team Freya. It's not long until, given time for the people who had just battled to change their clothes, all eight of Morgana's remaining acts are getting filmed for the pre-knockout chat.

She then takes in Aithusa, Cenred, Elyan and Viv and her other singer Eira into do their rehearsals. But before that, she warns us all that the knockouts are in a week and that the first episode of the blinds is playing tonight, so to start thinking about songs we can sing should we get through to the lives.

Arthur and Leon stop off for a bite to eat in a nearby diner with Morgause and Gwaine, who turns up minutes after Morgause texts him, so clearly someone has a crush. The four of us have sort of formed a group. It's entirely possible that one of us won't be in the competition in a week depending on how the knockouts go.

Aithusa comes in fifteen minutes later and we invite her to sit with us. She agrees, and sits down with us after getting a milkshake.

"So were you the first out?" Morgause asks her.

"No - Elyan and Viv were. There were in there for about ten minutes until they both stormed out. Clearly the song choice wasn't appreciated."

"There wasn't any actual shouting though?"

"I don't think so." she replies. "I know from talking to Elyan that Viv wanted to do _Sweet Dreams_ by Eurythmics, I'm guessing they were told to think again."

"It's a great song, so maybe there voices didn't fit well?"

"Probably." Gwaine shrugs, "Though nothing they've sung has really worked. God knows why Morgana kept them not Merlin and Gwen."

"It's like we said to Leon earlier." Morgause says. "Morgana has an amazing team already, I mean six or seven of us could easily make it to the lives, but she only gets four. Why make that harder?"

"That is true. Most of the teams are good this year, the lives are gonna be a bloodbath." Gwaine replies.

Aithusa heads home shortly after, so the remaining four head into the nearby pub for a final drink. They grab a table whilst Arthur heads to the bar to get four pints. After dropping the first two off at the table, he almost spills the next two bumping into someone.

"Merlin, Christ you scared me."

"Oh hey Arthur." Merlin says. "How're you doing?"

"I'm good, I'm good..." Arthur pauses. "How are you and Gwen?"

"Oh, we're fine. Bit disappointed to have lost to the two most talentless members of Team Morgana but we're in a stronger position in Team Freya anyway."

"Ah cool. Had your knockout meeting yet with her?"

"Yeah, though we haven't told anyone really what we're going to do. Keeping it a surprise hopefully will give us an edge."

"Well, Morgause, Leon and I are sitting over there. Why don't you come join us?"

Merlin finishes his half-pint. "I'd love to, but I'd better head off. Just gotta pay the bill." he says. Arthur waits with him till he pays the bill, which comes to about £20.

"Christ dude you sure drank it up."

"Yeah well, felt like it. You couldn't do me a huge favour could you?"

"Sure."

Merlin held out his phone. "I can't really text to well after all those pints, or half-pints really, can you find my Mum's number and text her the address so she can come pick me up?"

Arthur does so. "Do you want me to wait with you until she does."

Merlin nods, so Arthur tells the guys at the table he'll be back in a second and the two wait outside under the shelter from the rain.

"That'll be her now." Merlin says as a car turns into the road up ahead. With that, he turns to Arthur, reaches forwards and kisses him on the lips. It was in no way a particular good kiss, given Merlin's drunken state. Still, Arthur can realise, there's something else there.

Merlin steps back as the car draws closer. "Sorry, I just really wanted to do that." And then he's gone, getting into the car and being driven off. Arthur can't really figure out what just happened, but the rain is starting to blow into his face, so he retreats back into the pub with the others.

Later that night, when Arthur goes back with Leon to the hotel, he can't shake the feeling of guilt he had after he had first slept with him. He drinks some of the wine Leon offers him, and unsurprisingly they end up in bed.

But still, while they lie there, Leon asleep, Arthur can't stop thinking about what Merlin said, and whatever the hell he meant.

 _I just really wanted to do that_.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Woo more of this. I'm trying to get into updating regularly, which will be easy with this as there are only a set number of steps I can really go through with the Voice. Still, what feedback from and AO3 that I've had has been good, so I hope you all continue to enjoy. Knockouts next Chapter, I promise.


	4. Chapter 4 - Knockout Week: Part 1

**The Voice of Albion**

* * *

 **Summary:** Arthur Pendragon, son of famous blues singer Uther Pendragon and world-renowned violinist Ygraine de Bois, has run out of other options. A failed record contract was the last straw and now here he was, standing on-stage on the Voice of Albion. Modern Merthur AU (with other pairings) based on the Voice.

* * *

 **Chapter Four - Knockout Week Part 1**

Arthur and Leon had only known each other for a couple of weeks by the time that knockout week had officially started and steadily they were getting more and more serious. Arthur wasn't sure how Leon felt about it, and even though they were spending more and more time together, something still didn't feel quite right to him. Against his better judgement, he decided to leave it and see how things went. It was nice to have someone to spend time with and to have someone he could get more physical with.

He'd given up on commuting in, instead splitting Leon's hotel bill with him. Provided the two of them got through knockout week, the Albion Broadcasting Company who owned the Voice of Albion would start funding the contestants in the liveshows for the accomodation as they would have to stay nearby.

The Lives were weeks away however, with only two weeks' worth of auditions of the six done, still with two battles and a bumper-knockout episode to go. Some of the other contestants had already gone home - Arthur had spoken to Catrina from Team Gaius, who had said that Gaius had sent his team home and would rehearse with them in the few days before the Knockouts.

All of the other coaches it seemed had taken a different approach. Or so Morgana told him. She'd met him at the Studio for the final check on music so the band could get practising and invited him over for Lunch at her place.

He happily went, as while the fact that she was his sister had begun to sink in, it was still very surreal that the woman he was talking to was in fact his sister. He waited outside whilst she finished the handover with the rest of her acts. She came out of the studio room, looking quite exhausted.

"You would not believe how awkward it is to get the music right. I stood there arguing with Viv and Elyan again over their choice and the music for ten whole minutes in these heels." she said, holding on to the wall and pulling her heels off.

Arthur nodded and followed her out into the car park. She pressed the keys, unlocking a white Maserati a few metres away. Arthur climbed into the spotless car which had unsurprisingly comfortable seats. Morgana got into the driver's seat, slammed the door and pulled off her sunglasses.

"Honestly, I should have put them up against someone else so I could have dropped them."

"Did you not think of just putting Merlin and Gwen through?" Arthur asked.

Morgana turned the key in the ignition and the car purred to life. "I did, but if you look at my knockout team already I'm going to have a hard enough time choosing four for the live shows. Merlin and Gwen will fare better with Freya." She shook her head. "I'm not supposed to be discussing this with anyone, especially a contestant anyway, but I can trust you. Or I hope so anyway."

Arthur smiled at her. "You can trust me. I am your brother after all."

"Oh that reminds me, should you get through to the lives, the producers want be to have you do a duet with your dad."

His heart sank. "He'll be thrilled."

"Well you said he was touring in the US right now, and that he'd be back for the final. It would probably benefit you, provided we could match you both to a song. I just hope the other contestants don't kick up a fuss, as celebrity duets don't usually happen until the second week of the lives, but this is a special case."

Morgana drove them out of the car park and through the city - most of it familiar for Arthur - until she took a turn and the lay of the land became more obscure. Soon enough, they were out of the main city and into a clearly rich area of the suburbs. Morgana asked Arthur more about himself, and then talked to him a bit more about herself and how she had figured out the connection between them. The final stretch of road took them out of the suburbs and to a house - though more realistically it was a manor - with a wall and a big gate. She pulled in here into a garage, and tapped a button on the car dashboard which closed the gate after them.

"Come on then." she beckoned, leading him out of the garage, through a small section of the clearly large garden and into the main house.

Whilst it looked grand from the outside, the inside was quite modest. They passed a couple of rooms which Arthur looked into, including a not-so-modest library and a large music room, before they came to the spacious kitchen-come-dining room.

Morgana put the radio on then immediately set to work, taking things out of the fridge.

"Something with Pasta and Meat okay?"

"My favourite things." he replied.

"So there's more similar to us than meets the eye." she said, setting some water to boil. "And more than the musical influence." She pulls out some chicken from the fridge which has clearly been marinating and turns on the deep fat fryer. "How are you feeling about the knockouts?"

Arthur nods. "Pretty good actually. I think I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so." Morgana says. "Unlike one of my other colleagues, I will be rehearsing with you and the others all week coming up to the knockout. We're only obliged to do the initial meeting but I want you guys to bring your A game."

"Catrina said Gaius was sending them home."

"I don't know what he's thinking. His act's all bombed in the first live last year, bar the fast-passes. Both of them crashed out too, so I don't know why he's doing the bare minimum." She put the chicken in the fryer, which began to sizzle appetisingly. "I'm hoping to have reheasals most days with you all, and a group supper here the night before the big day."

"That's good of you."

"Well, I know some of my guys need it. I wasn't expecting to get Aithusa, and she's a bundle of nerves on stage, and I really want her to give a performance she can be proud of because that girl can do emotion as well as you can."

"And she's only, what, sixteen or seventeen."

"Exactly. It's looking hard though. I've got six acts who can realistically make it, and I have to pick four of them."

"I don't envy the decision."

"Who would you put through though, bar yourself."

Arthur pondered the question. "Morgause can really belt it out, she's fantastic as a vocalist. Gwaine has that real rawness to his voice, Aithusa is really emotional and Leon has good depth to his voice. I'd say they'd get through."

Arthur thought he heard Morgana mutter something about Arthur knowing about Leon's depth, but before he could comment on it Morgana spoke. "That would be a good team for the live shows definitely. Lance and Freya have their teams in their mind, and they are slightly more clear cut. It'll be a fight that's for sure."

When the food was ready, Morgana brought it over to the table in plates. It tasted delicious, and they both sat there in silence for a few minutes eating.

When he had finished, Arthur broke the silence. "That was amazing."

"Thank you." she replied. "I'm not just a pretty voice."

"That much was always clear."

"Stop it you." she teased. "I'll clear everything up later, how about we go through to the music room? We can go through some techniques on stretching your voice a bit, try and make it a bit easier to hit those falsetto notes we're going for."

They practised in the room for a couple of hours. Arthur had to drink quite a lot of water to keep his voice okay. They went through the whole song, Morgana playing it on the piano for him and giving him directions.

"Excellent." she said, when they had finished. "Now, no singing at all tomorrow and for the rest of today. We'll do the same thing a few days from now, to really try and solidify the practise we've put in."

"Thank you, I feel a lot better about the live show now."

"My pleasure brother." she smiled. "Just don't lose your voice for the knockouts, that'd be a disaster. So, if you want to come here for Lunch on Wednesday, that'll give you time to recover vocally for the final rehearsals on Friday before filming on Saturday."

Morgana dropped him back at the hotel, giving him a message for Leon to rehearse tomorrow with her. Arthur bid her farewell and went back to his and Leon's room. Leon had also left Arthur a message.

 _Out at the pub by the studio with some of the others. Come over when you're back._

Arthur scribbled down Morgana's message on another piece of paper so he'd remember and took the short walk to the pub. Leon's inside with Morgause, Gwaine and Aithusa who's sipping a coca-cola.

"Leon." Arthur say as he approach them at the table. He passes him the note, which Leon reads and nods.

"Anyone want another drink?" Arthur asks, and Morgause slides out from the table and comes up to the bar with him.

"Morgana said you were rehearsing today?" she asks him as we wait for the barmaid to pour the two pints.

"Yeah. It was good actually."

"She's a fantastic coach I think, considering she's taking the additional time with us." Arthur picks up the two pints, but Morgause grabs his arm as he makes to return to the table. "Arthur, none of us have any problem with it but we've obviously noticed what's been going on with you and Leon."

He passes her the pint, sliding his arm from her grip. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks, probably sounding harsher than he expected.

"Trust me, I don't want to offend you at all, but you've got to see." she looks over at the table. "The five of us who are contenders for the four places in the lives are at that table. Don't let Leon distract you."

 _As if he's the one in my thoughts most of the time_ Arthur shrugged. Merlin was no longer in his team so as part of the competition, he didn't have to worry about him and Gwen.

"I won't Morgause."

She smiles at me. "I just wanted to be sure. You both look good together, but this is a competition and the knockout is gonna be a bloodbath. And you're one of my boys, I look out for you."

The two of them begin to slowly weave their way through the growing crowd back to the table. "Did you say it to Leon too?" Arthur asks.

"Yeah."

"How'd he react?"

"Same as you pretty much."

They reached the table, at which point they both stopped talking about the topic. It was a good night all in all, and Arthur felt like he was really amongst friends. Even Aithusa was beginning to open up to them a lot more and really integrating with them. At one point, members of Freya and Lances team began to crop up in the pub - Arthur spying Merlin and Gwen sitting with some others - one of whom must be Elena - at a table at the other end of the pub.

He didn't know too much about the opposing teams, or who was really a threat. Morgause had mentioned Elena from Team Freya, who Arthur had heard good things about. He didn't really remember her battle - there were so many - but now the numbers were slimming and he had a chance at the live shows he started to find out more and more about the other contestants.

Team Gaius was easily the weaker Team with its only real standout member being Mordred. Team Freya however had Gwen and Merlin, Elena - who had defeated Aithusa in the battles, and a girl called Sophia. In Team Lance, there were a couple of guys called Cerdan and Percival as well as Will, who Gwaine claimed was Lance's favourite on the team.

This was about as much as Arthur managed to document in his head from his group as progressively they got drunker and drunker - except for Aithusa - until the point where Leon ended up on Arthur's lap.

In his drunkenness, Arthur didn't look around the pub at all, focusing on the people he was with. And as such, he didn't notice Merlin eyeing him and Leon from the other side of the pub.

"Merlin, calm down." Gwen hissed at him, clearly aware of where they were.

"I am calm Gwen." he replied, voice very steady.

"They're just drunk." she said, which was obviously true by the amount of empty glasses across their table.

This was not good. It had taken a while to get Merlin to calm down after meeting Arthur in the queue at the auditions. She hadn't expected Merlin, who was usually reserved when it came to relationships, to take such a sudden romantic interest in Arthur. They were both fans of the music he'd released before they'd met him, but this had taken another level.

What was more concerning though, was that while Gwen had paused to sip at her vodka and coke, Merlin had left the table and disappeared into the throng of people.

She didn't even bother to whisper. "Oh shit."

Arthur didn't even see Merlin storm past to the pub bathroom as he stood at the bar, trying to convince the barman that they weren't all that drunk. In the end, his powers of persuasion and charm didn't translate too well with the high alcohol level in his blood and he was sent packing back to the table.

"Where's Gwaine?" Arthur said, stumbling slightly on his words, when he got back to the table.

"In the toilets." replied Aithusa.

"Dammit, he's the most sober of us and we need him to get us drinks." And with that, Arthur made his way to go get Gwaine from the toilet.

The toilets in the pub were the standard for pub toilets. Arthur pushed the door open and winced slightly at the smell. He needed to piss anyway, so he made his way into one of the two cubicles and began to piss. Zipping up, he opened the door of the stall.

Merlin was pressed up against the wall, lips locked against Gwaines, the two cluched together in a tight embrace.

 _Awkward_. "Oh. Sorry." Arthur said. Merlin shot Arthur some side eye as he headed for the door. _What the hell? But Gwaine was into Morgause! None of this make sense_! thought Arthur as he came back into the pub.

He sat back down at the table and Morgause raised her eyebrows. "Seen something bad in the men's? Where's Gwaine?"

"Um" Arthur half spoke half stuttered, "He's in there right now. I left him making out with Merlin against a wall."

Morgause sat back. "Oh. Right." She glanced at Aithusa and Leon, then her watch. "How about we call it a night?"

"Probably a good shout." Leon said. "Aithusa, do you want us to walk you back? It's quite late."

"That'd be great thanks."

The four of us left the pub. Aithusa's house was only a ten minute walk, and for the most part it was awkwardly quiet. They waited outside until her Dad opened the door, and he thanked the three of them and invited them in for a drink, to which they said they couldn't hang around.

Leon and Arthur then walked Morgause to her car and she offered to drop them back at the hotel, so Leon got in the back of the car and Arthur got into the front.

"So, Gwaine and Merlin huh?" Morgause asked to nobody in particular.

Leon spoke first. "I didn't realise either of them liked guys."

"Me neither." Arthur then said. "I honestly thought Gwaine liked you Morgause."

"So did I. Though I knew about Merlin." she said.

"How?" Leon and Arthur both asked.

She grinned. "He would talk about Arthur most of the time and not about his music."

"Me?" Arthur asked. Merlin had never given him any indication of wanting it to go further, well other than the kiss but Merlin had been very drunk. He had said that he really wanted to do that. Had he meant more than in the moment?

"Well tough, Arthur said yes to me first." said Leon defensively.

"It's not us you have to say that to." Morgause replies, pulling over by the hotel. "See you guys later."

"Thanks for the lift." Arthur replied, getting out and walking with Leon into the hotel. The two got into an empty lift and Leon pressed the button for their floor quite hardly.

"Leon chill."

"I'm sorry Arthur; this has all just... just stressed me."

I give him a kiss. "Well it's fine, you are my boyfriend not him, so don't worry about it."

He puts his arm over my shoulder and pulls me in close. "I know, but what the hell is he acting at? Literally everyone knows Gwaine and Morgause are made for each other, and that you and I are together."

"Leon it's not his fault he likes me. And if Gwaine's getting with Merlin then that's Gwaine's decision."

"I'm sorry. I just get jealous sometimes." he says as the lift reaches their floor. Arthur takes Leon's hand.

"Come on, let's go forget all about it."

To Arthur however, everything is beginning to add up, even though it's still confusing. Merlin giving him side-eye whilst with Gwaine was Merlin trying to make him jealous. Arthur realised this in the morning whilst he was nursing his hangover. Still, much didn't make sense.

Arthur spoke to the empty room - Leon having gone for his rehearsal with Morgana. "I'm just gonna have to talk to him." He found Merlin's number in his phone, which he had got from them after the battles, and sent him a text.

Now all Arthur could do was wait.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** Again I apologise for the delay. Exam season is back, so my second year anniversary of starting writing is approaching and the workload has already piled up. I hope you enjoy this chapter. There will probably be one more before the night of knockout performances and then it's on to the live shows!

Also yes I am trying to catch the errors I'm making by accidentally writing in third person, which is proving surprisingly difficult for some reason. I apologise if you come across any, and if you wouldn't mind pointing them out I'd be ever grateful!


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